DriveDx vs smartmontools
DriveDx
binaryfruit.comsmartmontools
smartmontools.orgSide by side
| Figure | DriveDx | smartmontools |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 1 |
| Spec score · Disk Diagnostic Software | 7.9 (#9) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Spec score · Disk Health Monitoring Software | 7.9 (#13) | 8.0 (#10) |
| Purpose | DriveDx diagnoses and monitors SSD and HDD health to help users detect problems before data loss or downtime. | Smartmontools provides utilities to control and monitor storage systems using S.M.A.R.T. |
| Security | The store says industry-standard encryption protects the confidentiality of personal information submitted for purchase. | The project uses free code signing from SignPath.io and a free certificate from the SignPath Foundation. |
| Self-tests | Users can start and control drive self-tests that check electrical or mechanical performance and read performance. | smartctl can start short, long and other device self-tests and read the resulting self-test log. |
Plans
DriveDx
- DriveDx – Personal License$19.99, paid once
- DriveDx – Family License$39.99, paid once
- 2-Computer Pack$49.99, paid once
- 5-Computer Pack$99.99, paid once
- 10-Computer Pack$189.99, paid once
- 20-Computer Pack$359.99, paid once
- 50-Computer Pack$749.99, paid once
- 100-Computer Pack$1,199.99, paid once
- 200-Computer Pack$1,899.99, paid once
- 300-Computer Pack$2,799.99, paid once
In their own words
DriveDx
DriveDx monitors and diagnoses SSD and HDD health on macOS, with the aim of helping users identify drive trouble before data loss or downtime. It evaluates indicators such as SSD wear and write endurance, I/O errors, pending sectors, and reallocated bad sectors. Its reports distinguish Warning, Failing (Pre-fail), and Failed states. The app can run in the background, check drives periodically, and alert users when it detects an issue. Users can initiate and control self-tests of electrical or mechanical performance and read performance. DriveDx calculates health and performance ratings, plus an indicator of remaining SSD lifetime. It can email problem alerts and drive status reports, with reporting configurable by criteria, and can alert users when free space crosses a chosen threshold. The product page lists compatibility from macOS 10.9 through macOS 26 and invites users to try it free, without specifying a trial length. There is no free plan. The personal license costs $19.99 as a one-time purchase for up to three personal computers and non-commercial use; other licenses cover household or commercial computer counts.
smartmontools
smartmontools is a free package containing smartctl and smartd for controlling and monitoring storage devices through SMART. It supports ATA/SATA, SCSI/SAS, and NVMe disks, as well as SCSI/SAS tape devices. smartctl can report SMART health status, show capabilities such as error logging and offline surface scanning, display vendor-specific attributes, start device self-tests, and read their logs. A failing health status can mean a device has failed or predicts failure within 24 hours. smartd periodically monitors SMART status, error and self-test logs, and attribute changes; it can schedule tests and report errors and attribute changes to syslog. It also supports warning emails and executable commands. The project says it should run on modern Linux, BSD variants, macOS, Solaris, Windows, Cygwin, OS/2, eComStation, and QNX systems, and can run from various Live CDs and DVDs. The package uses the GNU GPL Version 2 license and was originally derived from the Linux smartsuite package. Its capabilities focus on SMART health reporting, testing, and ongoing monitoring.